In this article, the authors comment upon a recent decision of the High Court of New Zealand (“High Court”), McCracken v Boyer [2025] NZHC 546 (“McCracken”), concerning a challenge to an arbitral…
In Acanthus Ltd v Watercare Services Ltd [2025] NZHC 479, the High Court of New Zealand (“High Court”) addressed jurisdiction issues in the context of multiple contracts relating to the same overall…
On 13 June 2025, the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand (“AMINZ”) convened its annual Arbitration Day, reaffirming New Zealand’s reputation as an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction…
Sir David Williams KC is an Associate Member of Bankside Chambers, Auckland, New Zealand. Sir David is a former Justice of the High Court of New Zealand, the High Court of the Cook Islands,…
Nicole Smith is the Vice-President of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ), the leading membership organisation for dispute resolution specialists in New Zealand. In…
Introduction
On 8 May 2019, the Arbitration Amendment Act 2019 (the Amendment Act) came into force. It amends the Arbitration Act 1996 and is a much watered-down version of the original proposal. …
Introduction: the Arbitration Amendment Act 2019
Arbitration law reform is often portrayed in terms of relentless progress towards enlightenment: towards greater party autonomy, increased efficiency…
Last year I posted on the New Zealand High Court’s decision in Ngāti Hurungaterangi & Ors v Ngāti Wahiao [2016] NZHC 1486. The High Court rejected the plaintiffs’ claim that an arbitral award was…
Judicature modernisation reforms, which passed through New Zealand’s Parliament in October, represent the most significant revamp of the country’s court system since the Judicature Act 1908.
In…
Lawyers might sometimes wish for Solomonic justice; that parties would agree to “split the difference” or that someone would do it for them. Where, however, it appears that such an approach has been…
